Environment and Peace
October 13-15, 2005
It is indeed a particular pleasure to greet the organizers and participants of the international conference on Environment and Peace, organized on the occasion of the 60th anniversary since the foundation of the United Nations, as well as in connection with the inception of two decades proposed by the United Nations on education regarding sustainable development and the program called “Water and Life.” This is indeed a historical gathering of esteemed religious leaders, governmental authorities, and academic scholars. The fact that the venue is the historical monastery of St. Lukas, within the sacred Metropolis of Thebes and Levadeia, demands of us an attitude of prayer as we reflect on God’s creation.
Over the last decade, it has been a privilege of our Ecumenical Patriarchate to initiate sea-borne Symposia – five to date – on the themes relating to the preservation of rivers and seas, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Danube River, the Adriatic Sea, and the Baltic Sea, organized by the Religious and Scientific Committee under the inspired leadership of His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon. We have learned that it is critical for our efforts to protect the natural environment must be inter-disciplinary. No single discipline or group can assume full responsibility for either the damage wrought on created nature or the vision of a sustainable future. Theologians and scientists must collaborate with economists and politicians if the desired results are to be effective.
Moreover, we have learned that environmental action cannot be separated from human relations – whether in the form of international politics, human rights, or peace. The way we respond to the natural environment is directly reflects the way we treat human beings. The willingness to exploit the environment is revealed in the willingness to permit avoidable human suffering. All of our ecological activity is ultimately measured by their effect on people, especially the poor. Extending our concern and care to nature implies and involves changing our attitudes and practices toward human beings. The entire world is a gift from God, offered to us for the purpose of sharing. It does not exist for us to appropriate, but rather for us to preserve.
Commitment to Change
In our efforts for the preservation of the natural environment, how prepared are we to sacrifice some of our greedy lifestyles? When will we learn to say: “Enough!”? Will we direct our focus away from what we want to what the world needs? Do we endeavor to leave as light a footprint on this planet for the sake of future generations? There are no excuses for our lack of involvement. We have detailed information; the alarming statistics are available. We must choose to care. Otherwise, we are betraying our human rights. Otherwise, we are aggressors.
“Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5.9). To be sons of God is to be fully committed to the will of God. It implies moving away from we want to what God wants. It means to be faithful to God’s purpose and intent for creation, in spite of the social pressures that may contradict peace and justice. In order to be “peacemakers” and “sons of God,” we must move away from what serves our own interests to what respects the rights of others. We must recognize that all human beings, and not only the few, deserve to share the resources of this world.
“Making peace” is certainly painstaking and slow work. Yet it is our only hope for the restoration of a broken world. By working to remove obstacles for peace, by working to heal human suffering, by working to preserve the natural environment, we can be assured that God is with us (Emmanuel), that we are never alone, that we shall inherit both this world and the kingdom of heaven. For then, we shall be worthy to hear the words of Christ: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Matt. 25. 34).
